The Courier
by CyanSparki
Summary: "Quick Claw Couriers promises to deliver in a timely manner, rain, snow, or shine, day or night, mud thick and thin. Through rough waters we must ford, through mountains that we must climb. May it be small, large, or in between. May it be mundane or magical, normal or supernatural, we will never fail at delivering your mail. We promise that we'll always deliver. No matter what."
1. Quick Claw

_Prologue_

* * *

"And that's it for Raida..."

An old ariados with a faded carapace set down a tan leather sack with a group of similar sacks. Each one sat below a corresponding name and so far, only one name was left without a sack with the latest one finished. He had been working hard throughout the day and while the rest of his workers had all left for the night, he was still stuck inside the small post office sorting mail. He hated this part of the job but he didn't want to be doing anything else in his age. He certainly wasn't going to traverse the continent on mail carts or deliver mail around the large city he called home.

 _That reminds me_ _..._ he thought.

He glanced over to his desk nearby and grimaced. It was overflowing with mail, with more packages and such overflowing crates nearby. There was simply no way to have it all delivered tomorrow and had to plan accordingly. He estimated a half-hour more of work to finish up before heading home.

"Just one more sack and I can leave..." he said with a shake of his head.

He adjusted the flat cap on his head, making sure the web keeping it there was strong. He hated the cap but he, like all his employees, was required to wear a uniform. Between a cap or a scarf, he easily rather have the cap despite hating the damn thing- he wasn't wearing any scarfs anytime soon.

"I need to retire soon. This is just getting too tedious for me these days..."

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Hmm?" the knocking puzzled him. They had been closed for two hours at this point, something shared by other businesses in the area. The only business still open was the local tavern, and it was always open. Who would be knocking now and why? A drunk? He decided it was best to ignore it but a part of him didn't want to.

 _KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

He blinked. He wanted to answer. His curiosity burned despite his age but he had no clue whether their intentions were the best. Stealing mail is lucrative to those who know what to look for and there were no witnesses nearby, unless one counted the nearest tavern.

" _OPEN UP! PLEASE!"_ a muted voice shouted. He silently huffed. _It's not a drunk at least,_ he thought with a snicker. A plus but also a minus. The previous thought stood out- they could be a robber and he was an old disease-maker. He was mostly in no shape to fight. He could still spin a strong web and that was enough to stop anyone.

Another set of knocks rapped the front door. _They aren't going away,_ he thought.

Whoever it was, knew someone was inside.

"I'll be right there sir!" he said. Defeated by his better senses, he walked out of the sorting room and down the hall into the storefront. As he did, the banging continued. He started to despise whoever it was, good intentions or no- it was rude to bang down on a door with such force.

He carefully placed a strong web on the door while unlocking the main latch. He hoped it was more than enough to keep them out while letting him talk. The moment he unhooked the latch, the person on the other side pushed the door open.

 _"PLEASE LET ME IN!"_ they yelled.

Despite the lack of light from the fire-stone street lamps, dim as they are, he could tell that in the face trying to shove its way through was one of a houndour. _A fire-breather, fuck me._ he thought with a grumble. _It just had to be a damn fire-breather. The peoples that can burn my webs and my own body to ash._

"Yes sir, what is that brings you here today?" he asked as kindly as possible. All the while, the houndour was hell-bent on getting through the small crack available. He silently thanked whoever made the door and its frame for being able to withstand a raging hydreigon if needed. Not their fire's of course, but their sheer weight.

"I need something delivered! It's nothing big! Please! Just…" the hound looked about in a panic. "J-just let me in, please!"

He was wary of the tone the hound in front of was using. Panic. Fear. Regret. A hint of something bitter. Likely deceit. It made him squint at the hound in front of him.

He _hated_ liars.

"Well, you have to come back in the m-"

"No! Nonononononono!" the houndour shouted, pushing harder and harder against the door. He swore he could see ember's leave the houndour's mouth. "You have to let me! Please! Let me in!"

He snorted. Did this fire-breather lose his eyesight? Did he not notice every store was closed? Did he even know what _time_ it was? He sighed and decided that the fire-breather in front of him may just be a little tipsy.

"We're closed, like every other store on this street." he plainly stated. "Come back in the morning when we're open. We open at six-thirty _sharp_."

"B-but uhh…" the houndour stopped pressing and looked up and about. He watched the houndour stutter in thought, clearly looking for something to say. He noticed when his eyes fixated on the sign above the door with the company logo: the signature three white slashes with the test "Quick Claw Couriers" underneath. "Umm…"

"Umm?" he asked mockingly. He was growing tired of this dog's antics.

"You-Your motto!" the houndour finally managed to bark out. "T-the Quick Claw Couriers m-motto! Rain o-or shine! D-day or _night_!"

He watched the houndour struggle to recite more of the motto. He rolled his eyes in irritation. _'This guy has had too much to drink tonight. Must be one of them workers for those new manufactures or something.'_

"Yes, that is part of out motto." he responded with a shake of his head. This houndour was making him regret answering the door more and more. "And?"

"It's wouldn't be right to l-leave me out here! You guys are the only ones that can help! Please! I beg you- it's nothing big!"

The elderly postmaster blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. He hadn't expected the motto of Quick Claw Couriers to be used against him in such a way. He expected a litany of pathetic excuses straight out of desperate man's mouth. Using the words of his company twisted it all on him. It left him little choice- especially if left and began to talk.

And talk amongst dark-walkers always went far.

"Alright. I'll let you in. Please be patient." the ariados gently pressed the door shut as the houndour poured out a mass of thank you's and praises to him. He took a moment to unlock the door and unlatch it. Once more, the houndour shoved his way in, almost crushing the spider. "Watch yourself. I'm doing you a favor- don't make me take back my word and send you out."

"Oh, please sir I… I-I…" he watched the hound look about the room, taking in every word, every sign, every decoration he could. It gave him time to check the houndour out in more detail.

He stood short for his kind, not that they all didn't. He knew of some that stood on two legs, somehow, through learning from an early age but he wasn't one of them. This was just some houndour runt with a package on his back. The twine holding it there ended at his mouth.

In all other regards, he was plain. His fur was well-kempt, his eyes were a soft red, and the skull on his head was polished. He could see that claws on his forelimbs were long yet dull so not to cause any unneeded pain. The only clothing he wore was a wrapping around his feet to keep his pads clean and fresh, something not uncommon to any monster that walked on pads. He didn't because he was an ariados- he had clawed, virtually armored legs to walk on, not weak, meaty pads.

He was pulled from his observations with a yell from him, "I need you to d-deliver something!" the dog stomped his fore-paws onto the ground. He could see he was nervous but his eyes shown some irritation. He didn't trust those eyes or him in general. "Puh-please!"

"Well, that is what we do here." he flatly commented. "What _is_ it anyways? A letter? A parcel? A package?"

The houndour jumped. He watched him look about again before looking down at his paws. Eyes wide, he watched him nervously pulled at the twine just below his mouth to drop the package off his back. The dog then slid it over to him with a push of his snout, giving him view of what it was: a plain red box, small enough to fit within the dog's mouth.

He tilted his head at the sight. He had expected something more grandeur or suspicious. It gave him a feeling he didn't like staring at it but visually, it was obscenely…

Normal.

"Okay, so where is this little guy going?" he asked. He almost didn't want to but he had to. "Can't deliver it without knowing that."

"Uh…" the houndour gulped nervously. "It's… it's not around here…"

"Is it now? Color me surprised." he said sardonically. He knew that. There was no way he came here to get something so minor delivered within this city.

 _'That would be absurd.'_ he thought to himself. _'Then again, this city attracts the insane. Only one of maybe five "cities" in this world after all.'_

"It isn't it's…" the houndour stopped and looked down and away.

He tilted his head in suspicion, cap almost falling off but caught at the last second. As he reapplied the webbing to keep it there, he observed the hound closely. He hadn't noticed before but the houndour was shaking, if only slightly. He knew he was nervous and lying. Just _how_ nervous was he about lying though?

"Cirown." the houndour mumbled. He grimaced.

"Excuse me? I didn't catch that." he growled. This dog had become more frustrating by the second. "Speak up."

"Ciron Town." the houndour repeated.

"Ciron Town huh? That's pretty far. Almost the next province over."

"I know… I…" the houndour paused then sighed. He slid a leg back and hunched slightly. "I need it there soon."

"Soon?" He snorted. That was an absurd thing to think. "Well, I can estimate it'll be there possibly be next Kingsday. Maybe next Ravnday if you're lucky."

The hound jumped back, shocked. "M-more than a week?"

"Ciron Town is at the border between this province and Province Karandel. For someone not in a rush, that's a walk of at least three days. And that's just walking."

"Wah-what d-do you mean?"

"You have to triple that amount of time for carts. They're slow and make frequent stops. And that nine days is if," he got closer to the houndour and narrowed his eyes at him. " ** _IF_** the cart goes through the Dark Forest which means heading down one of the officially made paths. Only in that scenario, it's less than two weeks but most of our carts don't go that way. Too risky."

"B-but I need to get t-this over there by the e-end of this week!"

"I can't make promises it will get there quickly but it's the truth. I'm sorry. It just won't." he replied truthfully.

It was sudden but he could feel it. The houndour's expression faltered a little. His mouth twitched. His eyes shone for a moment. He could see the hound tense up as a light squeak escaped his lips.

"Is…" he wiped at his mouth with his free paw. "Is there no way to get it there faster?"

He contemplated his "customer's" request. Normally there wasn't a faster way. Usually he'd recommend a flyer but those were absurdly expensive when it came to deliveries, even small ones. Other courier services would probably give him the same answer he did but charge him more for a fake "speedy" delivery. He may be an elderly spider but he was one with honor and he refused to scam people for the service provided. Beside that, Quick Claw Couriers had a reputation to keep and it was his duty to uphold it.

In the end, he knew of only one method that could potentially help the houndour in front of him but he knew it was risky. Still, he had no choice. He didn't look like he was leaving anytime soon and seemed irritated. He'd rather live until retirement, not be burnt to ashes.

"Well, there… there is one way." he finally admitted. The houndour perked up.

"Really?"

"I could send out one of my couriers to personally deliver the package themselves. I know my couriers. They're quick and reliable. The downside is that it's risky. Who knows what would happen to them so-"

The houndour slammed his hand onto the counter, cutting the spider off.

"I don't care! As long as it fast!" he held up the box once more. "This _needs_ to arrive in Ciron Town by the end of the week!"

"Why?" inquired the spider.

"H-huh?" the houndour stepped back, confused. "What… what do you mean why?"

"Why _does_ it need to arrive so quickly anyways? I'm sure it'll be fine going the slow way." he replied. He noticed the houndour focus on him for only a moment. Upon matching him, the hound looked away. "Besides, it's much cheaper."

The houndour stomped on the floor, angry. "W-well, thu-they need it!"

"They?"

He saw that the question pierced right through the dark monster. He didn't know whether or not the houndour would answer him. The look on his face had turned from nervous to a faded anger. A sort of anger reserved for when one feels threatened. He assumed he might attack at any moment or threaten him and prepared to fight. He wasn't going to die laying down. Before his eyes, however, the houndour suddenly shook his head and groaned.

"It's for someone close to me!" the houndour blurted out. He stared at him curiously. Was this really his best attempt at a lie as it was pathetic at best. He could've done better. "T-they… it… it's for s-something special is all…" he trailed off as he lost momentum in his words.

"What kind of special?" he asked. The hound gulped.

"Uh… uhhh… a-a special day w-with someone… o-once in a l-lifetime..."

"Ah, I see." he said aloud. He noticed the odd houndour's pupils shrink in horror but he didn't mind it. He was getting tired of these excuses and games. If he wasn't going to make up a valid excuse, he might as well lend a hand. _Anything to make him go away._ he thought.

"S-see what…?" the odd houndour mumbled.

"Why didn't you say it was bridal gift?" he clarified. "It'd all make sense then."

"Oh… umm…" the houndour sighed in relief. He had to hold back a chuckle at his relief. He needed the person he was _lying to_ , to help him with his _lie_. Pathetic. "I was really busy today and well… I forgot to mail this for my cousin's wedding."

"Oh well that can't do. I'll certainly have this little guy on the way by tomorrow, don't you worry. It'll cost extra of course but I can send it to be hand-delivered by one of my couriers. I give an estimate of Moonsday for arrival."

"Only three days!?" he nodded with a clack of his fangs. "Oh, thank you so much!" yelped the houndour. He offered up his right forelimb to the hound, who shook it vigorously when offered. "I can't tell you how much this means to me!"

"It's nothing but the service of us here at Quick Claw Couriers. No need to thank me or my workers." he sighed and pulled out a form. _I hate this part._ He quickly jotted a few things down and held it up to the houndour. "Now, I ask you to simply fill this out."

The houndour gingerly took the form in his paws and stared at it for a moment. He watched his red eyes shift from the top to the bottom of the form where he knew the hound would look up and question him. Sure enough, he did, giving the him a queried look.

"Three-hundred twenty draga?"

He nodded. "Yes, well…" he feigned a nervous laugh, if only to trick the dog into thinking he was sincere. "It's because of the express rate plus a few fees and the service fee for having to send one of my couriers _across the province_. I'm going to have to make sure they have money to spend- unless you want them to sleep under the stars?"

"Oh, nononnono!" he exclaimed. The hound bent down and tugged at his foot wrapping. He pulled out a few coins from within and held them up. "Here! Keep the change!"

"Hmm." the spider took the coins and examined them. Each one was one-hundred draga coin. Six in total. "Are you sure? There's a good four-hundred extra here."

"I'm sure! Consider it a thank you!" the houndour said with a smile. The way he smiled made him suspicious but he said nothing. No reason to aggravate an odd character like that.

As he put away the money, the houndour finished up the form and handed it back to the old spider.

"Thanks again! You can't _tell_ how relieved I am you're doing this!" said the houndour.

"No need to thank me. Just doing what we do here best at Quick Claw Couriers."

"Oh please! You deserve much for this!" his words made him cringe. Something in them felt wrong despite how innocent it sounded. The houndour began to leave, bowing as he did. "A nice night to you sir!"

"And to you as well. Stay safe!"

The sound of simple click was all the postmaster needed for him to let out a breath he didn't even know how he was holding it, being a spider and all. Even then, he couldn't shake off the feeling of this encounter and the package. Just a glance at the left behind package, even when wrapped in a cherry red paper, gave him a vibe of something. Something he didn't like.

Something _wrong_.

"What did I get myself into?" he gently spun a cradle to rest the package in- he dared not touch it himself. "If only I'd finish my work earlier…"

Despite knowing well not to damage goods, he cared less about this one and drug it along the hardwood floor; all the way back to the sorting room. He stopped right next to the desk, still piled with mail with much on his mind. All of it surrounding the odd houndour and the package he brought in.

 _A strange package. An odd character. Clearly didn't know more than where this thing was going. Had no excuses. Came almost at midnight._

He cursed quietly. He hated situations like this. _Whoever was forcing him to shove this onto me was smart: they sent a fire-breather that can defeat any web I spin and kill me if I didn't comply. Sent him in at night when no one was around- too sudden for me to report it to anyone higher. Even dressed up the package so it looked inconspicuous._

The entire scenario made him shake. It made him growl. It made him angry. He had been used. Whatever was being sent, was not in someone's best interests. Certainly not in the interest of the authorities.

"I can't just send it with any of them…" he admitted to himself. There was no way he could just send it with _any_ courier. "They all have lives to live and sending them away into danger…"

He turned and looked at the sacks along the wall. He contemplated each name that sat square above each one. Every name he thought of, he thought of excuse after excuse of why they shouldn't deliver it until he got the last name. The one that still had no bag under it.

"Kodi…" he said with a sigh.

He had little excuses for her. While she was an excellent, hard-working girl in all regards; she was, in all accounts from everyone who worked here, a loner. She lived with her pack, yes, but had no mate, which meant no kittens to her name, no friends, and struck up little talk with the other couriers. All the other couriers had a range of family and friends and he shuddered at the thought of some of them disappearing. A few had litters to support and others had more than that. One even had grandkits.

It was a hard choice to make but he had to make one in the end.

"I'm sorry Kodi…"

He walked away with the strange package in tow to the rest of the unorganized mail. He quickly set to work organizing Kodi's deliveries, package in mind.

"I hope my sake and hers, this will not be something I regret."

With a flick of a pen and a sigh, he added the suspicious package it to her register.

* * *

The houndour ran down the street with a panicked look on his face. Occasionally, he glanced behind him. No matter where he looked, he always saw the same in the corner of his vision. A pair of eyes. Always following him. Always looking at him.

He turned into an alley and banged straight into a crate. Standing up, a dark figure greeted him a head taller than him. Their eyes shone red, like the ones from before. A smirk appeared, baring all their teeth in their sharp glory for the hound to see.

"Why _are_ you running? You're not leaving the area without seeing me are you?" a snicker tore into the houndour's hearing. "Or… are you trying desperately to meet someone you always wanted to?"

"N-no… no…" he said. He whimpered a little as he stepped back. "P-please I just…"

The figure stomped down on his left foreleg. It took incredible strength not to scream in pain as they did. The figure snickered once more as they lifted their foot of his leg.

"Stop trying to run you fool. The agreement made is absolute. You'll see them when allowed." the figure's smile dropped, and they looked away. "But that's not up to me to decide. That's up to _him_."

"Mmm…" he moaned in defeat. He knew he had no power or say. Not anymore and not for some time.

"You know what else is up to him?" the figure then asked. He looked up to see their red eyes glaring at him. "Whether we stay or go."

He stared up with wide-eyes. The figure in front of him held no smile, no laughter, and no signs of arrogance. Just a grimace and a somewhat saddened look. He knew. They knew. Both knew the same thing. It was a sobering thought.

"I… I don't _want_ to be sent away…" tears formed in his eyes. His paws dug into to the soft earth, leaving small divots. He couldn't help but be emotional at the thought of leaving the region before he did what he wanted- what he _needed_ to do. "I don't want to go… I have to see them..."

"Mmm… I know." the figure walked past him and looked down the street towards the post office. They watched the old spider close and lock the front door then walk around the corner, out of view. "I don't want to go either, honestly."

"So... I'm not in trouble am I…?" he asked.

"No…" the figure looked back at the sobbing houndour. The ground under him was wet from his tears. They couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the hound. "You're a lucky one- for now, at least. He shouldn't be that angry anyways. You did your part." they admitted.

"I did, didn't I?" he said as he stood up. He wiped a tear away as he forced a smile. "Is it enough?"

"I'd say no." the figure bluntly pointed out. His smile dropped into a frown. "It's best you go back to _him_ and try to kiss his ass as much as you can. Get on his good side. Become a favorite of his."

"R-right. I will." he took the time breath slowly, ending his flow of tears. "I guess... I'll be seeing you then."

"That you will."

He quietly slipped away, leaving the figure alone in the alley.

* * *

A minute after he left, the figure sighed. The thoughts roamed but they decided it was best to push them away for now. With a shake of their head, they walked further in. Upon seeing a perfect stack of boxes, they jumped up to the rooftops. They looked out at the city before them and smiled.

It was large and sprawling, rising and falling with the hills the buildings were haphazardly built on. Buildings of all sorts of shapes and sizes nestled up to one another up to the walls in the distance. Atop the taller hills were buildings of much more grandeur. The tallest hill held a castle instead of a manor- one that they intently focused on for a moment.

 _'A sign of the changing times.'_ they thought. _'Or really, a sign of this land's progress. Who knew conquest would lead to all this?'_

They went back to glancing at the city around them, taking in the soft orange glow of the fire-stone lit street lamps aloft every street. The city was an affront to how towns used to be built: small, open, and relaxed. She missed those days but they were ending. Cities rose above towns as guilds becoming more than just for exploration and as new goods began to be traded.

Even then, they loved the city. The entire idea of it was amazing. It had much of what they loved to see these days. People. Architecture. Food. Comfort.

Light.

"This city… such lovely light." escaped as a whisper from their mouth. The figure pulled at a cloth around their neck and covered their mouth with it. Doing so freed a small yellow gem-like marking just below her neck to the night air. At the same time, one could easily see a lack of an apple in her throat. "If I could, I'd stand here for as long as I can..."

Suddenly, she felt a pull. A call. She sighed and took a deep breath, taking in as much the city air as she could before letting out slowly, enjoying the smells. She muttered _"Nakari…"_ before disappearing into the shadows of the alley below.


	2. Grip Claw

_Chapter 1_

* * *

A light breeze softly flitted through the window, pushing the curtain enough to allow copious sunlight into the room. Under the window sat a pile of straw where a light gray-blue sneasel with dark-gray markings slept. Her fur, rough and unkempt as it was, had been covered with the straw during her sleep. Nearby laid a wool blanket, likely having come off during the night.

As the daylight passed, time struck unto the hour. All over the city, bells tolled for the first time of the day, as they all did for every morning, signifying that it was seven o'clock. The bells rang seven times, with short pauses in between each hit.

 _Gong…Gong…Gong…Gong…Gong…Gong…Gong…_

Through it all, the sneasel only mewled softly a few times. She was too engrossed in her dreams for the bells to bother her. The breeze from the open window did just as much, with the added effect of blowing some her bed away. Slowly, her head went up. An open paw came to her face, the white, semi-transparent claws fully extended. She scratched her face then rested her head back on the straw with a soft murmur.

" _KODI! PIKKA AKU!"_

The sneasel shot up from the straw with a shout, "I'M UP, I'M UP!" She looked around in alarm before realizing she was alone- the yell had come from downstairs. She sighed, "And I was having a good dream too…"

Kodi stood up and glanced at a nearby mirror. She recoiled in horror to see her gracious fur marred by straw all over. She picked at a piece above her right eye and glared at it in contempt.

"Ugh…straw…"

She sighed again. There was little she could do beside taking a bath or quickly brushing it all out of her fur. Since a bath took a long time for a sneasel like her- she recalled it being a two-hour exercise for much of her pack, herself included- brushing her fur was the only option. An option she despised.

"Come here, vile piece of crap." she grabbed the brush, thick with stiff brown hairs, off her dresser. She stared at it as she held it.

 _I really don't want to do this today. It grabs at my fur, hell my undercoat, and it always feels like it's about to rip an entire patch out._ She let out a sigh. She hated needing money. _Ugh, but I got to go to work soon. It's either that or be fired and be up a creek once more in my life…_

She quickly set about brushing off the straw. While she did that, she did her best to kick the tiny fragments of her bed back into it's proper place. Partway through, she opened a drawer of her dresser and pulled out a flat cap, not unlike the one the Postmaster had, and set it on top. After that, she pulled out two rolls of stained brown cloth, both heavily worn, and set them next to the cap. She continued to brush in a mix of through and fast. Every so often, she checked in the mirror before groaning in anger.

"Argh! This is too slow! I don't time for this!"

She thought hard and fast. A solution came to her in the form of a breeze through the open slate of her window. She smirked before she opened her mouth and let out a stream of frigid air against one of the walls. It was strong enough to move the air at a good speed but not cold enough to freeze anything- a delicate balance. Kodi let the stream of frigid air pass through her fur, blowing much of the remaining straw off. Whatever was left, she personally plucked herself. Another check in the mirror gave her a satisfying view.

"Perfect! I look great!" she exclaimed. Even then, she felt something was off, "Wait..."

Her eyes moved to where her left ear was. Missing was the feather that usually sat in front of it.

"Oh yeah... need to put those on..."

Her salmon-colored her eyes scanned the room around her. She groaned once more, ignoring the straw all over. She could clean that as she left. What mattered was that she was missing something important. Her feathers. "Aw come on… where are they?"

She rushed about her bedroom, poking through all her furniture in search of something. She cried a muffled "Ah-hah!" as she poked her snout under the dresser. She reached in and pulled out a plain black messenger bag with the words _Quick Claw Couriers_ sewed on in red.

"How tired was I two days ago? Did I really just throw you randomly like that?" she asked the bag.

The silence that came back was deafening enough. She chuckled nervously before slinging it around her shoulder.

"Right…right Kodi… You don't want people to think you're nuts, so you ask your bag questions. I'm totally sane." a sigh escaped. She found her bag but not her feathers. "Where in the name of the underworld are my feathers?"

She threw open every drawer and cubby she could. None held the red items. She searched through the straw and found nothing to same effect. Finally, she decided to open up her bag and check inside. A nervous giggle came out as she pulled out four feathers, one as large as her hand and the other three as long as her lower arm.

"Why did I put you guys in there?" she asked herself. A shake of the head and a scoff threw the questions away. She had no time to play detective with herself.

She slipped the feathers into notches made when she was young, keeping them tightly in place. Next, taking the long strips of brown cloth, she wrapped them around her feet and lower legs. She made sure it stayed in place with a subtle weaving pattern, pulling on it to check. Once satisfied that it wasn't going to come undone, she put the flat cap on her, minding her ears and feather, and checked herself in the mirror once more.

Her fur was still rough around the edges thanks to the icy wind but didn't care. She liked the rough and tough look, never mind the fact she stunk at fighting. She adjusted the dark blue flat-cap on top and wiped the emblem to a shine.

"Perfect. I'm ready to go." she took a step then stopped. "Whoops, forgot something."

She opened one of the drawers of the dresser and pulled out a gray scarf. She wrapped it around her neck, putting it in a loose knot that ended the scarf right over her chest.

" _Now_ , I'm ready."

She turned away from the mirror to spy the straw that was her bed. The chilling breeze from before had strewn it all about as she had observed before. Sagging in defeat, she pushed the stray straw with her feet back into the pile then covered it all with her wool blanket.

"There, all tidy." she locked the window shut and turned around, "'Bout as spotless as I can make it."

" _KUURA!"_

Kodi jumped back into her bed. She wasn't expecting to be called down anytime soon.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she yelled back. She stood up and dusted off the straw then groaned as she rushed to clean up the mess once more. "Should'a bought a frame…"

" _TURU_ _KUURA AIDON!"_

The second yell made her jump once more. This time, she was ready, and hooked onto an overhead beam. She gave a sigh of relief and dropped down to the floor. No straw everywhere. A smile came and went as she sprinted out the room.

"I'm coming down! I said that already!"

She ran down the hall before turning and running down the stairwell at the end. She jumped from the middle landing and landed on the floor with a pose and the soft click of her claws.

"Perfect as always." she said to herself.

Walking around the corner and into the foyer, she was greeted with the sight of a weavile busy dusting off as much furniture as she could. Upon walking into the foyer, the weasel-like cat turned her attention to Kodi.

"Ah, kuura." the weavile turned and pointed the duster at her, "I made breakfast for you." the weavile then pointed down the hall to her left, "Baked oran berry bread and a torchic egg. Heva aamoska, nu?"

"Of course, it's good ruumu, it's made by you." her mother sparkled at the compliment. It made her feel warm inside to see her mother happy.

"Tarina." she said in thanks. Her mother came over and rubbed the top of her head, making Kodi mewl. "Ah, you're still my little kitten."

"Stop it ma... please...?" she begged. In truth, she didn't want it to stop but she had things to do. A long day of work was ahead.

"Alright then. Go on and eat." her mother said.

Kodi nodded to her then made her way down the hall but stopped right as she was about to enter the next room. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, the words stuck to her tongue. She's wanted to say this for awhile but couldn't find the strength or fortitude to. Today, she made sure that this was a different story. Taking a deep breath, she got her words out past her mind, and out the mouth, "Y-you know, you...you don't have to make me breakfast every day. I know I'm being a bother living here and all but... but..."

She stopped. She wanted to continue but her tongue tied itself on her feelings; to say she was a responsible adult that could go buy and hunt all the food she needs. It wasn't like she couldn't. The one thing stopping her was the look on her mother's face. It was one of worry. Worry for _her_. It made her feel immense guilt just looking into her mother's bright red eyes.

"Are you sure Kodi?" her mother asked. She passed her paw through her crown of feathers. One of them poised to fall out but she gently shoved it back in. "You always leave without eating. I mean, I can always do with another round of breakfast. It's just that I'm concerned for you is all. With the way you randomly came back to us over a year ago, you had us all worried sick."

"I'm… uhh… I…well yeah. I did come back from… stuff but err…" she put a paw to her face, blocking her face from her mother. Her mother snickered. She went over to her embarrassed daughter and embraced her. "R-ruumu?"

"Kodi, no matter what, you're my kuura and your kuura ikiru-ku. We just want you to be safe."

"Mmm…" Kodi sagged in defeat. Her mother was right. In the past, she had worried her family and now that she was back among them, it made sense they'd try to keep her close. "Right I'll eat. Thanks again mom."

"Anything for you Kodi." her mother answered as she walked into the kitchen.

* * *

After a lightning fast breakfast, no thanks to the time limit she had, Kodi made her way down the street with finesse. It was crowded with monsters going about their day, many of whom were ducking in and out of businesses of all types. Carts were being led along the center of the cobblestone street, pulled by tame tauros, bouffalant, and mudsdale. Most of them were owned by the large guilds that held up the city and the marks painted onto the wooden carts and burnt into the tamed monsters were a reminder of that.

Kodi snickered. Her thoughts revolved around the idea of the guilds and their pull. A massive part of the city revolved around them, even as society had evolved. _So many monsters working in this city- mostly for the guilds._ She paused and shook her head. _If they didn't work for a guild, then a bank. If not a bank, then a tavern. If not a tavern, then for the streets instead._

The thought made her snicker as she ducked past a pair of tauros pulling a cart filled with crates. She spied the riders at the front, a pair of sneasel not unlike her. She spied their uniforms and noted a crown insignia on their gray coats.

 _If not any of that, then for the King. And if not any of those, either you're a poor as shit farmer, poor and homeless, drunk and homeless, or a bandit._

At a crossroad with another avenue, a pair of mudsdale, ridden by a toxicroak and a sneasel, walked right through with no care for any pedestrians. The crowd moved from their way as fast as they could. Her eyes couldn't help but admire their spotless black and gray uniforms, same as the two sneasel from before. The only thing that she saw that was different were their helms. Made of metal, they were painted mostly white and black, with some purple in the form of the royal insignia. They stood out and she couldn't help but stare as they went past.

 _Or you could be one of those guys._ She scoffed. The mere idea of her being a soldier or a King's Guard was rather laughable. She was not the best fighter. She was great at running, sneaking, and, admittedly, stealing, but not fighting. _I'd be a horrible soldier but it's so tempting to try sometimes. Good pay, good food, good uniforms, all the luxuries I could ask for…_

"Hey kit, move your ass! We got shit to deliver!" yelled a teamster.

Kodi jumped. The yell shook her from her thoughts. She shot out a quick apology and continued along, minding any crossing traffic from the other main street.

She continued to observe the area as she walked along. It was all familiar to her now. She's been walking the same way to work for a long time now

Finally, she got to the street she needed and turned the corner. In front of her was another winding street, but, one more relaxed than the avenue before she came from. The street was lined with businesses of all sorts. One was a cafe, another a tavern, and one was a small market for the workers of the area to bring home groceries when they were done for the day. Some stores specialized in certain crafts- crafts that were in rather high demand. She had been shocked into a stupor when she saw how expensive some of the items for sale were when she first came to this part of the city. _Gods how I wish I could own one of these stores. I'd be set for life._

Two of the said stories were crafters that made 'wonder' orbs, though she didn't know what was so wonderful about them. The one across from both stocked up on gummis of all kinds. Those were said to give one a boost to their powers and their magicks if one could afford the _really_ good ones.

 _The prices. Always the prices._

She glanced at the prices in the window a she walked by. They were far beyond her budget-almost a month's worth for the cheapest ones. A chime went off behind and she turned to see two members of a local guild called the _Rail Riders_. She knew they specialized in the dungeon known as the Rail Canyon to the north of the city. She saw them walk away with a bag stuffed with gummis'. She scowled.

It was hard enough to keep herself from grumbling a string of curses at the sight. She was lucky they didn't notice her scowling- even if with good reason to.

Any member of a guild can just waltz in, do their business, and walk out as if they hadn't just spent pay worth more than most monsters made in a _year_.

Monsters like her.

 _But I'm not built to go in those dungeons they blast through. I'd be skewered on the first floor._ she thought to herself, _Besides, I like my job. And anyways, riimu makes enough that what I make is worthless. So, no big deal._

She blinked a few times and then sighed.

 _Except when I want something for myself._

Continuing her walk, she weaved around a straggling group of guild mon' outside one of three clothiers in sitting in a row, each one specializing in a different type of accessory such as scarves, bands, and caps. They were arguing about scarves from what she heard but paid no mind- her scarf was the best after all.

She stopped at the last storefront before the post office. This one, aptly named _Loo's Loops_ , stocked looplets of all kinds, either hand crafted or found in the few remaining dungeons in the area.

Kodi stopped and peered in the window at the display for public view. They were all a fair premium compared to normal one's she's seen around the area but the shop itself heralded that all looplet's sold were rare. Well, most of them. She knew he had plenty of common looplet's but he had plenty of rare one's too.

At least, she hoped they were. She had to admit, it'd be heck of a bold-faced scam.

Her eyes tracked over to a blue painted looplet with golden edges and five empty notches for power emeralds, or as they're more affectionately known as, emeras.

"Sky Looplet, you will be mine. Just a few more weeks, then I'd be the fastest in the pack." she whispered.

A bell chimed beside her. She looked over to see a frogadier walk out. She waved to him, and he returned in kind. He walked to her side and put a hand on his hip. She noticed that in his other hand was a piece of parchment.

"Good morning Kodi." he greeted. He walked over to her and nodded at the looplet before her, "Eyeing the looplet again?"

"Yeah. I'll get it eventually. You said you had at least three so I'm not worried."

"Hah," he shook his head, "it's actually two now. Someone bought one last night before closing."

"Eh, what can I do? Steal'em before they get sold out? I'm not in the mood to spend the next five or so years in a mine collared and chained." she said.

The frog laughed, this time with heart instead of the subtle poking upon greeting her. Kodi smiled and joined in. The two eventually stopped, with the frog holding the poster up at her.

"Ah, don't worry Kodi. As you said, you'll get it eventually." he began to put up the paper in his hand on the window. She hummed softly as he did, curious. He took notice and glanced at her, "Wondering what I'm doing, eh?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Well, old Loo is trying to get rid of some of the lackluster stock. None of them guildies are buying'em because they're the ones getting rid of them, so I'm stuck with a lot of random looplet's."

The frog finished pasting the paper upon the window, using his saliva as a paste. Kodi shivered at the sight but kept her mouth clamped. She knew it was for the best not to comment.

Once he stepped away, her attention was drawn from his tongue to the poster. Upon seeing the words written out, her eyes sparkled.

"Wow, one-fifty draga for the whole lot?" she asked, amazed.

"Not the whole lot Kodi, just the lesser looplet's. This includes Speed Looplet's if you're interested. Should tide ya' over till you can afford the Sky Looplet."

"I'll think about it. Maybe after work." said Kodi.

Loo nodded, "It'll be waiting for ya' then. Hope you have a good day Kodi… and stay safe."

"Eh? What?"

Loo looked up at the sky. She did as well but spotted nothing wrong. It was as blue as it always was, with a few clouds passing overhead to give some precious cover from the harsh sunlight.

"Things have been getting bad all around." he looked to her. She looked at him in kind. His eyes were glazed with worry. "I fear for our safety."

"What?" she whispered, confused, "What do you by things are getting bad?"

"I think… You'll find out eventually."

His words raised more questions for her to ask. Before she could ask any of these questions, Loo had disappeared into the store.

"Why do people have to act so suspicious about things…" she muttered as she walked over to the post office and entered.

* * *

Inside the post office's lobby, it abuzz with patrons waiting in line to speak with a clerk. The only clerk. Being mid-morning, she was stunned to only a single sneasel on duty as the clerk and immediately felt bad for him, but only for a moment. It used to be her job once upon a time.

But it isn't her problem to care about it now.

"Hey Lev." she said as she walked past him.

The shorter sneasel only glanced at her before turning back to address the patron in front of him. Kodi laughed as she went deeper into the post office, passing workers sorting the incoming mail from cart deliveries as she went.

As she went by, it caught her off guard just how much mail there was today. This is the first day of her workweek, having had the previous two days off, and there so much mail that it was simply ridiculous- there had to be several days' worth in piles all around the sorting room! Adding to that, the stacks of mail were much taller than her and likely weighed more than even that. She estimated it might be even taller than a short bisharp and a short bisharp was much, _much_ taller than the average sneasel.

She walked around of the large piles of mail into a darkened side hallway. At the end was a door with _Postmaster_ etched in white. She knocked twice and said, "Hey boss, it's Kodi."

Behind the mahogany was the sound of ruffling paper and the dropping of boxes.

"One second Kodi, hold on..."

She sighed and waited against the wall. It was the same every day she came in. He was always busy organizing the outgoing deliveries room whenever she came by to pick up her deliveries. He knew she was coming yet never left the door unlocked. It annoyed her to no end. _Sometimes, I wonder if he's being deliberately obtuse._

A click pierced the air. A slow creak sounded as the door swung out.

She spied her old boss disappear from behind the large wooden desk dominating the office. The small piles of mail on top indicated he was busy as she always saw him.

"Come in Kodi. You're just in time." he called out. The cat shrugged then let out a soft trill. She never understood how he stayed so cheery- or at least the facade of it.

"Umm yeah…" she walked inside and shut the door behind her, "Good morning boss. Just here to retrieve my stuff like always."

Like every working day before, it was just a routine: collect today's mail, deliver whatever they may be where it needs to go, return with packages and mail meant to be sent to other towns, then go home. And like every day before hand, to collect the mail, that meant meeting the Postmaster.

"Well, it is your job isn't it?" he mockingly said. She scoffed at the jab.

"Well you have your job, but you never finish do you?" she said, jabbing right back.

The old ariados laughed. She smiled. At the end of the day, he could at least take jokes and dish them out as well- unless it was late night from what she heard. _Joke then and you'll be out a uniform apparently._

"You sneasel are always sharp-tongued. Must be you lot are bureaucrats and business-owners. Quick an' mean, always in it for a coin, but loyal to a tee."

"It's the motto of our people." she said in jest. It really wasn't but at the same time, it kind of _was_ , "Right, boss. Anything new I should know today?"

"It's sunny. It's clear. It's the middle of the week." he said flatly.

"Kingsday." she said aloud.

"The city is busy as usual. The King is off with the Queen on Kithers Isle and won't be back until Sunsday."

"How scandalous. The King is with his wife." she deadpanned.

She heard the old ariados scoff. Did he know something about that she didn't? She swore she could hear him snickering before he kept on talking.

"There's a scandal between the St. John's Guild and the Lake Veruna Guild. Something about price fixing."

"Hmph… maybe that's why goods from those two towns are so expensive."

"Finally, I heard there was an attack early this morning."

"In a city _filled_ with dark-walkers like me? Shocker."

"Well yes, normally the victim is bruised, missing a few teeth, and more than a few coins but… but this one was missing _his_ _eyes, lungs, and his feathers_."

"W-wait…" this caught her off-guard. A sneasel was killed. This went from rather pointless to important. She needed to know more. "It was a sneasel?"

"Yes. Poor lad didn't even stand a chance. Whoever attacked him made sure he wasn't going to fight back. Broke his arms and legs before tearing him apart." Kodi couldn't hold back her gasp. To break a sneasel's arms and legs was to destroy everything about them. Their strength lay in their arms and legs- the ability to run and slash. Take those away and you have nothing but a defenseless cat. Her boss ignored her gasp and horrified look, "The only identifying parts left were his claws and those markings of yours. He was all mangled up otherwise."

"And… you know this why?" she timidly asked. This kind of attack is something she only heard of once when she was about the world and that was a cult of magickers who stole away the horns of a few houndoom for some potion. It was beyond brutal from what she heard and this sounded no different. "I mean, where could you have heard this from? It's only nine in the morning…"

For once, she heard him stop shuffling papers. She clearly heard him set them down and watched peek out from behind the desk.

"It happened at the corner of my street." he let out a despondent sigh. She could see a weary look in his eyes. His cheeriness was nothing but a façade, not that she didn't know that, but she didn't know how _hurt_ he was. "Had to walk past on the way here. Managed to catch a glimpse. I've haven't ever seen something like that before. Only heard it from my da's da when the war was raging."

She was stunned and confused. The King's Guard were more than capable at preventing this sort of thing. A perk of dealing with a majority populace known for their tricks. Yet somehow, they couldn't have stopped such a brutal attack?

"Don't you live in one of the better patrolled parts of the city?"

"That's the thing. I know there were patrollers at the time, but he still died. Almost as if whoever did it, knew when to strike. When the guard would be out of sight."

"Right sir… that's… that's…" she was at a loss for words. This conversation had gone a way she hadn't expected. Was he warning her of something? Before she could find her voice, the Postmaster finished for her.

"Concerning? It should be but a bright young kid like you would know how to avoid death like that. Let me be worried about a potential serial killer on the loose in my area." he went back behind the desk. Not too long after, she heard the ever-present sound of shuffling papers. "You Kodi on the other hand, have a day's work ahead of you. You should get going."

"Umm… right boss."

Kodi strolled over to the sacks lining the back wall. There were fifteen in total. Fifteen couriers. Fourteen just like her. The other sacks were partially empty. It was standard for them to make several trips; there was simply no way to deliver all that mail in one go unless one were a dragonite. But, the mere thought of dragonite delivering mail made her laugh in anger. They were usually in the army or nobles. Far above a job such as delivering mail.

With a sigh, she untied the twine holding the sack closed and pulled it open. She began to check over the mail registry attached, more a stack of sheets tied together at the corner with twine, when she heard the Postmaster walk up to her.

"Actually Kodi, before you began, I have to talk to you about something."

She turned to see him standing before her. His eyes were awash with worry and occasionally, they glanced at the registry in her hand.

"Umm… alright boss. What is it?"

"The last item on your registry. I want you to look it over and please do not overact. I do not want a scene."

She shrugged. _Okay. This day is just strange all around already._

She flipped over to the last page and glanced it over. _Nothing wrong so far… just standard fare and…_ She squinted. It couldn't be. She had to be seeing things. She rubbed her eyes but the words did not go away. _This is just cruel_.

"Boss?" she glanced up at the ariados and gave him the harshest look she could muster, "A delivery to Ciron Town? That's-"

"At least three days away? I know." he admitted.

She was stunned once more. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. "And… why is it in my registry? Isn't that kind of thing we have carts for?"

"Well yes, normally it is but…" he sighed. She couldn't help but frown as she read it over once more. "This is a special request."

"Oh, those are never good."

"I concur, if only because to get to Ciron Town quickly, you'd have to go through the Dark Forest which is crawling with dangerous cults, bandits, crazy feral beast, and even a couple known dungeons. Dangerous ones at that."

"Peachy stuff." she deadpanned. _Is the god of life throwing all she can at me because it certainly feels like it._

Her boss walked over to his desk while she thought over the idea. Going to Ciron Town was not a simple undertaking. She was being asked to journey across the province, a three-day's walk at worst, just to deliver one item. In the meanwhile, she still had to _come back_ all the same.

 _This all sounds like a horrible deal. Potentially get killed or worse for some stupid delivery- not even multiple ones. Just_ _ **one**_ _delivery."_ The thoguth of all this being over one simple delivery stuck with her more than anything else. It then dwelled on her that there may be benefits for all this. _Maybe… there's something in it for me or he wouldn't be asking me. Does he know?_

"Boss, I kinda don't want to ask…" she said. She heard a gruff sigh before she finished.

"It's fine. I feel like I already know what'll you'll be asking."

"Oh…weeelllll… Am I going to get paid extra for this? I mean, how am I going to afford food and room for the night?"

 _I most certainly will_ _ **not**_ _board and I'll just hunt for some food. That's extra money for me and I need it- oh, do I need it._

"Oh, yes. You most certainly will: on top of normal pay and extended pay for each workday, you're getting hazard pay as well as a stipend for overnight rest and one meal per day. And yes Kodi, you get to keep the money you don't use."

Internally, Kodi jumped for joy. A smile appeared on her face. She had a good to go on this delivery now. With all the pay she's about to receive, she's likely to earn more than what she would in _two months_ of work. _And that's nothing to sneeze at…_

She flipped the registry back to its front page and grimaced. She had forgotten about the rest of the mail for today. _And what of tomorrow and the day after?_

"Another question, boss. What about the rest of my deliveries?" she paused and waited for answer before realizing how odd the question sounded. She shook her head and added, "Uhh… I-I mean, today's and the next two days as well."

"We'll manage with fourteen couriers. It's not like we're behind by a week and half already. Really, it can't get any better or worse." he chuckled. Kodi giggled as well. It was a good joke. A rarity from her boss. "For today at least, I want you to deliver everything then. Tomorrow, at five in the morning I'll see you off. Gives you time to get ready for the trip and say goodbye to… whoever you can."

"Got it boss. I'll get right to it. Count on me." she said as she walked back over to the sack of mail. She began digging through it, pulling off letters and packages from the registry in an order that made sense geographically as she stuffed them in her bag. She read each one off before marking it down as in route. "Ten Market Square… One-five Juulen Street… Seven-seven-two Hocker Street…"

A soft groan escaped her. The amount of mail to deliver today was enormous. Not even including what lay beyond today, she was going to be sore all week.

 _I really hope I can get a massage in Ciron Town or on the way at least..._


	3. Air Mail

_Chapter 2_

* * *

The crowd was loud, fast, and thick. So thick, Kodi thought she might be crushed in the coming minutes if it wasn't for the fact she was quick footed. She dodged, ducked, weaved, and rolled around monsters of all size in a virtual sea of them.

"All of this just to get _to_ Canis Square." she mumbled. She clicked her tongue and chuckled as she dodged a pair of houndoom and their houndour pups. She tipped her hat at one of the pups when they barked at her. Moving on, she shook her head as she saw the crowd increasing in size and thickness as it got closer to her destination. "Ugh, more like _Cans_ Square 'cause it's so packed."

On the way, the street was lined with stalls selling goods of everything conceivable. If she knew of it, it was being sold here- though not of the best quality as she knew the best was _inside_ the square not the streets lining it. She noted that the only thing not for sale were the monster's themselves. _A blessing. That kind of thing should stay in Verstolin Hill._ She shivered. The picture she thought up was not one she wanted to experience, on either end of the deal. She continued on down the street, keeping up with the flow.

She stepped past a nidoking guarding one of the square's entries when she was nearly flattened against a stone wall by a passing pangoro. Only the guard's firm hand pulling her closer to him saved her from being trampled. The sudden movement left her dangling above the ground due to the massive difference in height but she was soon on the ground again as he let her go.

"You sneaks need to keep those ear's of yours up more and your eyes on other's instead of their purse." The guard shuffled to side and nodded over to the entryway. Kodi pursed her lips but said nothing.

Once Kodi slipped past the nidoking and into the square itself she muttered, "Kusi… fucking kusi." she sighed and stretched her arms around to stay calm, "Ignore him Kodi. It's not worth the hassle. Just deliver the mail then go home…"

The walk through the tunnel was mired by the constant push of monsters going the other way or pushing her in the way of others. Kodi walked out to see the square in its full glory. Her eyes cast upon the incredible number of stalls set up all over the square. Awnings of bright colored wrapped over the entirety of the densely packed area, serving to almost block out the light thanks to the tall apartments surrounding it. To mitigate that issue, braziers were stationed neatly around the square to provide the best lighting giving it all a mystical feeling.

 _Always an amazing sight to see. Somethings makes almost being crushed worth it._ Kodi shook her head and walked on, moving around monsters browsing wares at the lined stalls. _Still, I have a job to do. Not the time to browse wares._

She chose random paths to walk down, unsure where to go but keeping an eye on everything she could. She had an address but because of the squares layout, it made getting to each building a challenge. Every time she did, the numbers meant nothing to her as she couldn't figure out how whether that was close or far from the building she was looking for. _I've been here so many times but I still have no idea where I'm going._

Despite her own words, she couldn't help but look at the stalls as she passed. She saw that some were selling foods of every kind at every stage, fresh from the farm right to being freshly cooked or baked on the spot. Others sold fabrics, clothes, trimmings, and everything in-between. A few sold dungeon items just like the craft stores where her post office was located, but these were of the more common variety. Ever fewer were the ones selling armor and bladed weapons.

Finally, Kodi found the building she was looking for. At the end of one of the larger paths was a grand building, with a stately white façade and was easily the tallest amongst the square. Everything from the door to windows were ornate and exuded wealth. She shook her head as she walked up the steps. _This is rather expensive looking for such a busy area like this. I can't imagine how hard it is to keep it this way._

On the way up, a passing zangoose and bunnelby bumped right into her, seemingly walking right into her as if she weren't there. "Woah!" She yelped as she was forced into the stone railing. By the time she pushed herself off and looked back at them up, she swore the two were sneering at her. She thought about saying something but spotted armbands with an insignia she didn't recognize on the two of them. _I don't recognize that symbol but it's clearly from a guild._ She shook her head and kept going up the stairs. _Best to let go in this case._ At the top, she stopped and stretched out the pain from the bump. "Aaahhh... that helped."

Kodi pulled out the package she was delivering and checked it over. "Signed for the apartment on the fifth floor, to a…" Kodi held it closer to eye, " _Garen Iligio_ …? What an odd name. Sounds Akatish." She held up the package and shook it a few times. It was light for it's size, almost the size of her bag but thinner than most packages she delivered today. "What an odd delivery but it suits the odd name."

 _Time to go in._ She opened the large door in front of her and made her way in. Upon entering, she listened and looked to see her claws clicking on white marble below her. Looking back up, she saw that it went all the way out through the massive lobby, with the stairs in the back being the exception. _Marble and carpeting. This is an expensive lobby._ The door slowly shut behind her and with it, the noise of the busy market outside.

It was only then that Kodi immediately noticed that the building's lobby was completely empty. No one was seated on well upholstered chairs surrounding the lobby, the decorative curtained walls all around hide no one, and no monster was around to stare in awe at the two large dragon sculptures in the center of the atrium. Observing them closely, she couldn't make out which of the gods they were supposed to be, but she assumed them to be the gods Dia and Palk.

Kodi began to walk toward them, entranced by the sheer size and detail of them, "Wow, the gods of space and time." She was so entranced that she had missed a sharp scrape to her left. A quick bang made the courier jump away and right onto the floor. "W-what!? Who...?"

"Me."

Kodi eyes moved up to meet the red eyes of a monster. She took in all his features, a large fan of red-pink feathers atop his dark blue fur with a similar one ringing his neck. Longer, sharper, and likely stronger, claws stood half out of his silver furred paws in case she decided to attack. To monsters not like her, he was nothing but a weavile- the advanced aural form of a sneasel. To her, he was just a stronger nyulan.

"So, are you here to gawk or are you going to do something?"

"I'm here to do something." Kodi got back on her feet with no help from the weavile behind the desk, who only stared as she walked closer, "It important."

"Well then," She saw that the weavile she had been rude scared by was wearing a tanned leather top along with a small steel chest protector over his left breast. Around his unprotected lower torso was a belt with a short sword hilted on the side. She could tell he was the guard on-duty for the building. "I hope that 'important' something isn't stealing because then I'd have to break your kapo sne kasel."

Kodi put her paws on the desk, next to his. A brow rose on his face as a frown appeared. "Well you're not going to breaking anything small or cute. I'm just here to deliver something for a Garen Iligio."

"Really now? It's a bit late you know." he looked down at a sheet of paper. He shook his head and slide a few about until he saw what he wanted and said, "Yeah, no. It's quite late to be visiting him right now."

"Quick Claw couriers work until six after noon. It's around five last I checked." Kodi pointed out. The weavile nodded.

"True, true." the weavile stood up from his seat and walked around the desk. He leaned against the desk next to Kodi, a brow raised. "Still, it's bit odd. Lord Iligio usually has a servant fetch his mail from your office."

"I mean, mail and packages are two different things." she said. The weavile guard behind the desk nodded slowly before shaking his head, the point completely missed by him. A single tap of one of his claw's gave away his lack of understanding to her more than the absent stare on his face.

"Right..." he sucked in a quiet breath with a slight hiss. She saw the two feathers that acted as tails flit about in frustration, "And they're different how?"

Kodi pat her bag a few times and tilted her head with a fake smile. "Mail can be picked up, packages are delivered unless missed. If missed, we leave a note."

The weavile snorted. "You sure know a lot about the system. You should work as a courier or something."

"I already am a courier." Kodi flatly responded, unamused by his failure of his joke.

"Really? Is that so?" he said mockingly. Kodi rolled her eyes. "Hey, don't be like that."

"I'm not one for small talk like this, is all." revealed Kodi. She watched the weavile finally stand up straight, leaving him to tower a whole head above her. He placed a claw on his chin and hummed. "What?"

"Hmm… you're like that? Well, I'm not shocked. I've met many sne like you: fed up with everything, nowhere to go, nothing to do…" He chuckled for a moment while Kodi rubbed her left arm up and down. The words were close to the mark on how she felt at times. "Trust me, I was like that once too."

"I... I just don't like talking to others honestly." she added.

The weavile snorted, unconvinced by this. "You're talking to me."

"Well it's because I know you'll stop me if I just try to walk past." The courier took a step past the desk. The weavile chuckled and walked around, blocking the way from any further walking.

"Heh, right you are kit." the weavile walked back behind the desk, Kodi walking up to it and leaning on it once more. "Let me call down a servant. They'll escort you upstairs, so you don't get yelled at or skewered."

Kodi nodded. "Thanks."

The weavile pulled a lever that was previously hidden behind one of the curtains. Silence filled the lobby as Kodi sat down to patiently wait for the servant while the weavile had gone back to what he apparently had been doing previously, which was reading a book. A few more minutes passed before she heard the clobber of footsteps coming down the spiral stairs next to her.

"Hiso, why are you calling me down here!? Don't you know what time it is!?" In front of Kodi appeared a flaafy in a maid's outfit, complete with something she did not expect.

 _Is that a dagger and a looplet? Are they expecting assassins for guests or are they just paranoid?_ Kodi scooted around in her seat, ready to jump away in case she attacked her. _Why do I keep dealing with all sorts of crazy things?_

"Also, we're not expecting anyone to be here either! So, if it's a guest then-"

"Well for one, your guest is right next to you," the flaafy spun around, giving Kodi a harsh, accusing glare. Kodi felt like the maid wanted to stab her right here and now if it weren't for Hiso's next words, "and two, she's a courier, so no killing her unless you want the City Guard to come running in all angry and stuff."

"You know well they won't." the flaafy servant said. The guard, now known to Kodi as Hiso, frowned. His brows sunk as his eyes looked over to her with visible concern. Kodi already felt uneasy from the pitched stare but the sheep's further words did not help.

"Can I not be killed?" Kodi quietly asked. She saw the sheep's ears swivel as do her eyes but she remained facing the guard.

"Mmm… that depends." she finally turned to Kodi and she could see that the maid outfit she wore had another belt around the upper torso that held _another_ dagger for her to use. The sight put Kodi off further. "Why are you here?"

"Delivery." Kodi tilted her hat and held up the register she had been anxiously clasping. "For a Garen Iligio."

The sheep's eyes relaxed at the sight of the papers. She snatched them away and read them with new energy that scared both cats. "Grr… I can't just turn you away."

"And why is that?" Hiso asked matter-of-factly.

The flaafy's golden eyes turned from Kodi, to her thanks, back to Hiso.

"That's not your problem." she smirked, "Later on though, _Hiso_ , I can assure you that you _will_ hear from Master Iligio. And that hearing will be quite a long one, understand."

"Umm…" the weavile looked back and forth then sagged. She saw his mouth dip from a straight line to a somber frown. "Y-yes ma'am."

 _He's shaken up by the thought of meeting him for a talk? He must be scary._ Kodi looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. She imagined being in her bed. _Black Raven, why do you make me regret waking up?_

Kodi heard a scuffle before her. She quickly sat upright and opened her eyes to see the flaafy staring at her. Kodi cleared her throat and smiled as warmly she could.

"Follow me and _don't leave my sight._ " the flaafy warned her. Kodi did her best to not react to the threat as she felt a finger poke into her back. "I'm onto you. Who knows what's in the bad."

"She's not going anywhere, and she's only got mail. Calm down." said Hiso. Kodi smiled in response while the flaafy growled in anger, her hands clenched hard and her white teeth shined in fury _._

Kodi held onto the railing while the flaafy made her way own the stairs again. _Happy to see someone on my side_. _Then again, I worry for him. What is she going to do? I hope she doesn't stab him._

"Hiso… how about you be quiet." the flaafy demanded with a light stomp of her foot. An echo rang out, fading in time for her to continue with, "And get back to your work."

Hiso mouth curved into a loose, smug smile. "Make me."

The electricity jumped from her and bridged right over to Hiso, hitting him with a jolt that sent him flying back onto the floor. It was so fast, he had no time to scream in pain, only groan in pain.

"Gg… fuck… you…" he moaned.

The flaafy shook her head and continued up the stairs. Kodi was left speechless while Hiso picked himself off the floor. Her staring was stopped when she was roughly grabbed and pulled forward by the flaafy and back in front of her. Suddenly, after all that's happened, now she was starting to regret ever entering the building.

* * *

The walk up was uneventful. The building's material and construction methods blocked all the noise from the market below and because there was only one apartment per floor, there weren't many other monsters Kodi could talk to beside the maid. _Not that I want to. She hates my guts and I hate talking._ Kodi sighed as they landed on the fifth floor. _Why can't this go faster?_

The sight she greeted on the fifth floor was as elegant as the building itself: there were a grand pair of black oak doors, an intricate number five etched it, with two hallways going off to two side areas right before it. She guessed it was connected to lodging for all the servants. Finishing it all off were a row of leathered upholstered seats on each side. _Is this a clinic or an apartment? What kind of monster has a waiting area?_

"I hope he's not a surgeon." she muttered. She stopped when the servant escorting her stopped. "Uhh… what's wrong?"

The flaafy spun around and stepped right up to Kodi, shoving her face into the confused courier. "You listen here little cat. You will stay right here while I fetch Lord Iligio. You are not to move. Understand?"

"Sure?" Kodi said cautiously. She understood security but this over the top for a courier like her. She then realized what the maid said. "Wait _Lord?_ He's a Lord? _"_

The maid stopped in her tracks and turned to Kodi. She saw the look in her eyes- one of shock. The flaafy sighed, lowered her head, then started to laugh.

"…ahehehehehe…" the servant flaafy pulled her head up, hands on her chest trying to keep herself together. Kodi easily could see she failed when the laughter grew. "AHAHAHAAHAHHAAA!"

Kodi titled her head in confusion. "Something funny about my question?"

"You commons are so stupid sometimes. I know you all like to sniff the grass but pull your heads up once in a while and look up to see who rules you all." the flaafy smiled viciously, making Kodi feel uneasy. "Heh. You'll learn soon enough who Lord Iligio is."

Kodi watched, stunned, as the flaafy turned with a satisfied breath and walked down the corridor to the right. In the distance, Kodi heard the soft click of a door closing.

She was alone.

"Augh…" Kodi kicked at the floor in disgust. _What in the gods just happened?_ she looked around the room, her red eyes taking in every feature again. She decided to sit down and think about what just happened in comfort. _Why'd she laugh? It's not common to see Lord's so far from the Greystone District. It's even rarer to find any sort of nobility in this area._

Kodi decided further thought was pointless. She reached into her bag and pulled out a thin parcel, as big as a book. If it were a book, it was wrapped rather poorly to her knowledge- the glue was too thick and the twine binding it together was frayed throughout. On what she assumed was the bottom was a written address with the recipient name below it and an expected delivery date.

 _A Garen Iligio as my register said_. She looked up at her surroundings. She craned her neck and looked to the corridor entrance. Not a soul to be seen. She looked back down at the package and frowned. _A Lord. I'm delivering to a Lord. This day is just becoming stranger as I go. What's next? I encounter some bandits and rescue the Princess?_

She shifted in the chair. A strange feeling went up her spine as the fur swept across the odd material. She never felt something so cold, rough, and heavy. At the same time, she had to admit it was soft and comfortable, like the cushions they sat on in her home, only those were of simple furret fur and stuffed with ducklett feathers. These were clearly filled with something heavier, for better support, but just as soft.

"This has to be expensive. I can't begin to wonder what's inside." Kodi muttered as she patted the top of the cushion a few times. It gave out a soft pap each time.

Her ears bent back at the sound of click. A sound she knew was a latch. Looking up, she spotted the large oak doors swing open with no resistance at all. She then observed a small metal track near the hinge of the door, with what she guessed was a wheel. The door stopped with a loud bang, making Kodi jump in the seat even though she knew it was coming.

 _That was much louder than I thought._ she let off a shiver as she stood up. She straightened up her uniform and put on her best smile as the flaafy servant from before stepped out from the darkness. _Her again?_

"Courier." the servant said.

"Kodi." she corrected. "It's Kodi."

"Hmph." the flaafy stuck her nose into the air then bowed and gestured with both arms to the open doorway behind her. "You are graced by the presence of His Lord, Baron Iligio."

Kodi gasped at the sight before her. From the doorway, stepped an _enormous_ tyranitar and it was clear he had draga to spare.

 _An expensive red cloak, a fancy clasp at either end, a gold-plated crest, a really ornate one at that, hanging from his neck_ , _and_ _fancy leather gloves._ She covered her mouth to block out a whistle starting to form. It took much more effort to stop thinking about much it must all be worth exactly. _This guy is worth more than me five times over and more._

"Greetings little courier. I hear you have something to deliver to me?" Lord Iligio said.

"Yes your Lord." Kodi held up with the package for him to see. She watched the large dark monster's eyes look over the parcel, curious. "I don't know if there was a mix-up as I know you have your mail picked up but I'm sorry either way my Lord."

"Ah, it's fine." he looked down at the flaafy with a smile. "Aurora, please fetch it for me."

The flaafy did as she was told and walked up to Kodi. She held out an expectant pink hand but instead of the parcel, Kodi put her register and a pencil in her hand instead.

"Is this a joke?" the flaafy demanded. Kodi gave her a plain look which incised her further. "Don't give that stupid-"

"Aurora. _Tongue_."

"But sir-"

"Este non é o momento, Aurora. Só tes que dalo a min." he yelled at the top of voice.

Kodi took a few steps back while the flaafy, who Kodi now knew as Aurora, trembled in fear. Know of her attitude from before remained when the sheep stepped up to her, hand out.

"P-please… j-just give it here…" Kodi gently placed the register down with the pencil on top. Aurora ran back to Lord Iligio's side, who took up the register and stared at it. "I humbly apologize sir."

"It is fine Aurora."

Kodi watched him flip through the pages, despite having left it on the page he needed to sign on. To break the odd silence, she opted to get an answer about the chairs.

"Those seats of yours are quite nice." Lord Iligio looked up at her while Aurora glared intensely. Kodi ignored the sheep and continued, "What is it made of?"

"It's the hide of a feraligator. Nasty to fight but it was a fun hunt. Ended with me snapping the neck of the alpha. The rest fell in line to my party."

"Sounded like it was a great time." said Kodi. The noble before her nodded.

"It certainly was." Kodi watched the tyranitar's hand swoop left and write with slight flair as he signed her register. Once done, he handed it to his servant who promptly shoved it into Kodi's chest. "I apologize for Aurora's attitude. She's not used to dealing with common people such as you."

"It's fine. I've dealt with a lot worse." Kodi bowed. "And thank you for having me, your Lord."

"Your welcome. I'm more than open to visitors when the time is right, but it is sadly not the right time but getting a parcel like this is important. It could be something I have been waiting for and I can't just say no to having it delivered."

The larger monster's eyes swung down on her petite form. She could see right into his dull brown eyes and in them she saw age and knowledge- far more than she had seen before. His eyes slowly dipped down to the register still in his hand. He chuckled then handed it to Aurora, leaving Kodi somewhat confused.

Aurora made her way over. Kodi stood thinking about the moment she and Lord Iligio had. _What's so funny?_ she rubbed her chin with a claw while holding out her other paw for Aurora. _Is he seeing something I'm not?_

"Here you are…" the sheep minced through her teeth, shoving the register into Kodi's open paw. She ignored the rude gesture and placed it in her bag.

"Thank you."

Once the register was in her possession again, Kodi held out the parcel for Aurora to take. The sheep snatched it away and gave her a scathing look. She could see the armed maid wanted to say something, likely violent, but after being reprimanded earlier, she clearly knew better. Instead, the sheep walked over to her master's side and handed him the parcel. He smiled and took it up to view it himself. Quietly, he unwrapped it to reveal a small stack of papers.

"Ah, these are important documents I've been waiting for." he handed them back down to Aurora and gave Kodi nod. She returned it with a short bow. "Well, I thank you for your service little courier." Kodi watched the large tyranitar turn and walk towards the door. "Come Aurora, we have important work."

The tyranitar walked back into his apartment, Aurora right behind. She gave Kodi one last look before she slammed the door shut.

Kodi let out a breath she had been holding the entire time. A shiver went throughout her body as her fur stood on end. Grabbing her left arm, she felt herself shaking.

 _I'm shaking..._ Another breath escaped, much shakier than before. A tear formed in her right eye. _G-gods that was hard. I... I..._

She stayed for a few minutes, crying as she shook in place before wiping away the tears as best she could. She had no time for dealing with her feelings.  
She needed to get back to work- a courier's job was never done she told herself.

* * *

Upon reaching the ground floor, Kodi was surprised to see Hiso was fine despite the shock from earlier. In fact, she could see he was back to reading his book like before, as if nothing happened. _Is this normal for him? If so, that's seriously sad._ She walked over and rapped a pair of claws on his desk to get his attention.

"You're okay?" she asked.

Hiso shut the book and smiled up to Kodi, "Yeah, it's nothing. She does that all the time."

"That's…"

The weavile waved a paw about, "Ah naw. It doesn't hurt too much when you have something like this on you." He pulled out a stone from underneath his scarf. Kodi observed the stone and was surprised to see it was a translucent green with yellow stripes all about. "Neat huh?"

"That's a creative use of a lightning stone." said Kodi.

"That it is!" Hiso said before chuckling. He flashed her a smile as he stood up then turned and leaned onto his desk. "So, how was it kid? Aurora didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No… no." Kodi began to make for the door. Hiso walked out in front of her, concern on his face.

"Come'on, ozen rie shinahul snesel."

Kodi stopped just before the door. She let out a drawn-out breath, shaking. "I'm fine… I…" she closed her eyes and balled her paws up then tucked in her lower lip enough for a fang to clamp on it. Hiso could see the anxiety flow throughout her form as she tensed up.

"Uhh..."

"I…" she turned to the concerned weavile and looked down at the ground. "I never really expected to meet someone who hated me like that before."

"Hate you how? Aurora doesn't like a lot of monsters, me included."

"I could tell she didn't like me more for the fact I was a dark monster than that I was there at a bad time."

"Yeah, she's like that." Hiso held out his claws and checked each one, rubbing them together to check their sharpness. "There's nothing I can really say other than she hurts me a lot when she's mad and all I can do is grin and ignore it."

"Why is she allowed to do that to you?"

"She works for Lord Iligio and that means she untouchable." he answered. Kodi took a step back in shock.

"What? How?" She made over to Hiso's desk and leaned over it. "That's wrong and you know it."

"Of course it's wrong but... she's his servant for as long as he keeps her around and that means she untouchable." He looked back and forth, checking the stairwell a few times with his eyes and ears. Finding it clear, he said, "I heard she was a pirate or the like but was caught and sold into service as punishment."

"They do that?" Kodi asked him.

He shook his head. "Not here but in the Akati Isles they do."

"That's… well I never thought that was a thing still. It's outlawed here after all." Her vision was filled with Hiso's face. She saw a look of fear on it.

"Yes _here_ but where Lord Iligio comes from it isn't and…" Hiso stood up straight and cleared his throat then smiled. Kodi looked about and saw nothing but a feeling of being watched washed over her. She couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Uhh... Let's move on before we both find blades at our throats." The guard put a paw to his chest and grinned. "I have a deal for you."

"What kind of deal?"

"Simple: I take you for a round at a tavern I like with a few friends- you pay for nothing." He stood up from the desk and walked up to Kodi. She looked away and tightened her grip on her bag. "You only have to be there for the drink then you can leave."

Kodi closed her eyes. "I'm not one for being with others." Hiso put a paw on her shoulder and smiled. Her eyes opened to see a weavile staring down at her with as sincere a smile he could muster. "What?"

"I know you said you don't like to talk but I thought it was just that. Talking. Being among other nyulan shouldn't be a problem. Be a little open sne- it will only help you. Besides, you may like being around me and my packmates."

"Well…" Kodi's lip came together and rolled up and down a few times as she thought. Hiso's words bounced around her head along with other stray thoughts. _I'm used to being so alone, but I guess he's right. I'm more than willing to talk these days. Things have changed._ She looked at the weavile in front of her. He snorted as he fiddled with the fire-stone lamp on the desk. _Besides, he's no harm to me. Too kind for his own good._ Kodi let out a slow breath and picked up the slack of her bag.

"Well?" Hiso asked as she slowly nodded.

"Okay, I… I could use a drink I guess." Hiso smiled as she dug a hand into the bag and pulled out the register. She took a quick glance. "After work of course and only one round as you promised."

"Great. Meet me at the Leaf's Edge on Kither Street any time after the sixth hour. I'll even buy you a second round if you come happy, just because you survived meeting Aurora without being turned into spati."

"Hah, yeah… sounds like a deal." Kodi made her way to the door and grabbed the handle. Hiso followed with a glee filled mile. "You seem quite happy that I'm agreeing to this."

He put a paw on her shoulder and snickered. "I'm just happy is all I can say." He stopped snickering and put a paw on the door before she could open it. "Wait, I don't know your name yet."

Kodi eyes rolled in their sockets as she opened the large doors, "My name is Kodi. And I'll be impressed if you stay happy by the time I see you again Hiso."

"Eh, why?" he asked.

She stopped and turned back to him. "Because you still have to talk with Lord Iligio, don't you?"

Hiso's smiled faded as Kodi's eyes lit up and she started to snicker. "Oh… yeah."

Kodi shut the door, leaving Hiso to lean against the front desk and hang his head in anguish. He groaned and smashed a paw into his desk, the claws letting out loud clicks as the hit the wood. He wanted to throw his sword away and rip his armor off but stopped when he realized how silly it would be to do so. He settled on sitting back down in his seat and letting out a long moan.

"I really need to learn a trade."


End file.
